What Mobile Phone

Submitted: Sunday, Apr 29, 2007 at 15:31
ThreadID: 44873 Views:2891 Replies:13 FollowUps:10
This Thread has been Archived
I am a dinosaur. I have an old clunker mobile that I use pre-pay vodaphone dockets on. Don't use the phone much so its a cheap way to have back-up comms. But after a recent trip away from the coast I realise I need to update to something that provides better coverage. Just wondering what people are using now in the bush and what sort of phone coverage they get ??
Back Expand Un-Read 0 Moderator

Reply By: rolande- Sunday, Apr 29, 2007 at 15:41

Sunday, Apr 29, 2007 at 15:41
G'Day Deserter,

If you can wait another 12 months, NextG will have better coverage and a greater range of phones.

Just get the one that suits you best.

Regards

Rolande
AnswerID: 236623

Reply By: Member - Davoe (Nullagine) - Sunday, Apr 29, 2007 at 15:42

Sunday, Apr 29, 2007 at 15:42
CDMA was great with reception available from high points most often. But that is being rplaced by next g wich is barely better than normal mobile reception.
Telstra is the only option for decent coveradge
AnswerID: 236624

Follow Up By: deserter - Sunday, Apr 29, 2007 at 16:00

Sunday, Apr 29, 2007 at 16:00
Amen to the Telstra comment. Vodaphone is just hopeless away from the cities.
0
FollowupID: 497703

Reply By: Member - Wilgadene (QLD) - Sunday, Apr 29, 2007 at 16:29

Sunday, Apr 29, 2007 at 16:29
We live 20km north of Bundaberg, 6km by road (3-4km overland) from the coastal town of Moore Park and can't get mobile coverage of any sort CDMA or other
AnswerID: 236635

Reply By: Member - Olcoolone (SA) - Sunday, Apr 29, 2007 at 16:40

Sunday, Apr 29, 2007 at 16:40
There is no good GSM or Next G networks around and never will be, the only way to get good coverage is a sat phone.

Will cost you between $500 to $1500+ and $35+ per month, people may say its expensive but what price do you put on your life and others.

We always have GSM as our main phone and a CDMA for more range, it use to be good, the same car kit with external antenna fitted both phones until the dismise of the CDMA network......some thing about people between the ages of 3 to 25 years wanted phone to do everything, internet, video, pictures mp3s etc.

I supose when you get over 25 years old your not important enough.....or those great guys at Telstra thinks that is what we all want. To bad someone don't by the old CDMA network.

As a back up and information we have a HF radio on the VKS network.

We also have a sat phone.

Regards Richard

AnswerID: 236639

Reply By: MAVERICK(WA) - Sunday, Apr 29, 2007 at 17:42

Sunday, Apr 29, 2007 at 17:42
you have joined the same boat as many many others. there will be no prepaid on the next g network.........we are not profitable enough for telstra. there will be a nokia g phone available mid-year even though telstra keeps saying no. there will be another netork set up by optus (and others) to 'rival' the next g - though that may be just talk to keep the share market happy. current next g phones are very cute and fancy and can do all sorts of things except enable you to phone from any distance from a main centre of population - what telstra conveniently forgets to tell you is that 98% of the pop. only lives in 70% of the land mass. so those of us who wish to travel into the boonies will need a satphone or hf system. will this matter to telstra or their majority shareholder - not a bit.........unless you wish to email, watch tv, download music/videos then don't apply here should be their motto. unfortunately all the telcos will run the same message. no telco is offering a simple system that will just let us do an et - i.e. be able to phone home or let home phone you...............nothing else just a simple call system is all that is needed. anyway do we really need them in the bush?????? rgds
Slow down and relax......

Member
My Profile  Send Message

AnswerID: 236653

Follow Up By: Member - Olcoolone (SA) - Sunday, Apr 29, 2007 at 18:46

Sunday, Apr 29, 2007 at 18:46
Hello Maverick,

98% of the population lives in 4% of Australia, so only around 4% of Australia is covered.

Regards Richard
0
FollowupID: 497736

Follow Up By: Motherhen - Sunday, Apr 29, 2007 at 20:48

Sunday, Apr 29, 2007 at 20:48
Maverick - Will Telstra really leave us with Telstra pre paid out in the cold?
Motherhen

Red desert dreaming

Lifetime Member
My Profile  My Blog  Send Message

0
FollowupID: 497779

Follow Up By: Eric from Cape York Connections - Monday, Apr 30, 2007 at 06:14

Monday, Apr 30, 2007 at 06:14
Is nokia defiantly bringing out a phone.

All the best
Eric
0
FollowupID: 497839

Follow Up By: MAVERICK(WA) - Monday, Apr 30, 2007 at 09:13

Monday, Apr 30, 2007 at 09:13
Eric, as far as I am aware (and no thanks to the cute young girlie at the telstra shop) nokia is introducing a g phone june/july - then again i have been fed so much bull lately by many people re such a simple subject.....
motherhen, there is to be no prepaid g network - no profits for telstra. rgds
Slow down and relax......

Member
My Profile  Send Message

0
FollowupID: 497853

Follow Up By: Motherhen - Monday, Apr 30, 2007 at 21:22

Monday, Apr 30, 2007 at 21:22
The reply from Telstra:

"Telstra does not yet offer Next G on our Pre-Paid service. We do however plan on introducing the Next G Network to Pre-Paid services in the near future; early 2008.
As of yet, Telstra has not decided how customers will be reimbursed in regards to their remaining credits when they upgrade to the Next G network."
Motherhen

Red desert dreaming

Lifetime Member
My Profile  My Blog  Send Message

0
FollowupID: 498019

Reply By: Member - Olcoolone (SA) - Sunday, Apr 29, 2007 at 18:56

Sunday, Apr 29, 2007 at 18:56
It's a funny thing, we use Nokia 6310I mobile phones for our business and about 3 years ago the telco's stopped offering them on there plans. We spoke to Nokia Australia about it and there reply was "Nokia do not do this phone any more, all the users want small phones that can do every thing".

The strange thing is it is still Nokia's biggest selling business phone in Europe and the current model BMW's and Merc's have them as an option, you can buy them through BMW and Merc in Austrslia.

So just who do they want to make money out of, the ones who are still at school and rake up $3000 bills that they can't pay for.

mmmmm makes you think.

When I did a marketing course they touched on the big companys targeting children, "get them when they are young and you have then for life", just like the cig and alcohol companys do.

Regards Richard

Regards Richard
AnswerID: 236675

Follow Up By: Member - Davoe (Nullagine) - Monday, Apr 30, 2007 at 10:12

Monday, Apr 30, 2007 at 10:12
all to true kids are brainwashed into using mobiles. My partners daughter visited us for a week and kept using her and her mums mobile to call her boyfreind over East. It wasnt until I told her that she knew she could call from a land line after 7 - talk as long as she wanted for only $2-3
0
FollowupID: 497862

Reply By: Member - Doug T (W.A) - Sunday, Apr 29, 2007 at 19:20

Sunday, Apr 29, 2007 at 19:20
I have converted to NextG from CDMA, I travell all over in my Job, I am not going to worry about an External Antenna , I get good coverage prior to and after all towns from Perth to Port Hedland , The reason I am not getting an External Antenna is that with CDMA and now NextG the Antenna will only give a few Klm extra from when signals drop out , I don't see the benefit, plus the GPS becomes the Hands free kit going through a second Car radio left on 88.5 or whatever frequency you want in the FM range, I have the perfect setup
gift by Daughter

Lifetime Member
My Profile  My Blog  Send Message

AnswerID: 236684

Reply By: lbudgie - Sunday, Apr 29, 2007 at 20:04

Sunday, Apr 29, 2007 at 20:04
wait a few months and nokia will be releasing a phone with gps navigator in it. N95 i think.
AnswerID: 236703

Reply By: Motherhen - Sunday, Apr 29, 2007 at 20:46

Sunday, Apr 29, 2007 at 20:46
I just pulled up the Next G area map. Our farm at Dinninup (yes - you've never heard of the place - but it is in the south west and not far from civilisation) had some coverage with the old analogue. Then they brought in CDMA and no cover for miles around; only a few years ago expanding the network to cover the area in high patches at least. The map shows a big white area (satellite phone only) over the farm although across the road the crown land bush block is the next G range!
Motherhen

Red desert dreaming

Lifetime Member
My Profile  My Blog  Send Message

AnswerID: 236721

Reply By: Member - Au-2 - Sunday, Apr 29, 2007 at 21:57

Sunday, Apr 29, 2007 at 21:57
Deserter,
Next G prepaid mobiles will be available from May 15th. If you want to know more go to this site: Site Link You can find out just about anything you want to know there about any phone. I have learned quite a bit from the folks on that forum - including that most new mobiles don't work very well without a memory card. Son has just bought a Nokia N95 but might have to wait a while to get full use of same and also will have to buy more detailed maps before using it to navigate beyond the limits of his town.
OzeSheila.
AnswerID: 236742

Follow Up By: Robin - Monday, Apr 30, 2007 at 14:37

Monday, Apr 30, 2007 at 14:37
Worth Reading

Thanks OzeSheila

Robin Miller

Robin Miller

Member
My Profile  Send Message

0
FollowupID: 497902

Follow Up By: Member - Au-2 - Monday, Apr 30, 2007 at 22:09

Monday, Apr 30, 2007 at 22:09
Glad I could help, Robin. I wish we had known about that site before we bought our phones, instead of two weeks after. Actually, I am quite happy with the LG TU500 which I got, but it has taken a steep learning curve to figure it all out. We had to buy a new cordless phone for the house too, at the same time, and I nearly went out of my mind trying to work out the different buttons and systems of each of them. The first thing I did with the mobile was send out my first multi text message to the loved ones telling them to take note of the new number. Well, wouldn't you know, I sent it off without saying who I was. Every single person I sent it to answered immediately ( how rare is that?) wanting to know who I was. The 'phone kept beeping at me and hiding what I was trying to text back. I put it down and walked away thinking that maybe this new technology was a bit beyond me. A lot of people got 'hang ups' when they rang me and some got calls from me which I also hung up on, when they answered. Sheesh, this 'oldtimers' stuff is embarrassing! Well......that's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it.
OzeSheila.
0
FollowupID: 498035

Follow Up By: Robin - Tuesday, May 01, 2007 at 08:06

Tuesday, May 01, 2007 at 08:06
Sounds like that would have been a priceless moment OzeSheila.

At least we can get some enertainment value out of these new toys to help offset the fact that they cost about twice what they should.

Robin Miller
Robin Miller

Member
My Profile  Send Message

0
FollowupID: 498081

Reply By: Sand Man (SA) - Monday, Apr 30, 2007 at 09:25

Monday, Apr 30, 2007 at 09:25
According to Telstra, they will be introducing a NextG Prepaid service "soon".

Me, I'm not converting until I have to. I am waiting to see what Nokia releases for their NextG compatible Phones. Nokia, I believe, have superior solutions for in-car kits with external aerial connections.
Bill


I'm diagonally parked in a parallel Universe!

Member
My Profile  My Blog  My Position  Send Message

AnswerID: 236799

Reply By: Member - Olcoolone (SA) - Monday, Apr 30, 2007 at 12:10

Monday, Apr 30, 2007 at 12:10
Some of our freinds and us travel upto the Flinders Rangers a bit, we have a external antenna on our CDMA and they don't.

Over 5 hours we loose reception for about 5 to 10 minutes, they loose reception for about 75 minutes.

In the future mobile phones wont have an extermal antenna conection at all because in Europe and Asia they have towers everywhere and the distances between towns is so much closer.

Lets forget about Australia......

Regards Richard
AnswerID: 236829

Reply By: Member - Bucky (VIC) - Tuesday, May 01, 2007 at 05:37

Tuesday, May 01, 2007 at 05:37
Next G is crap !,,

There are still areas everyehere that don't work, and we travel a bit , and we compare phone signal strengths, every time we pull up ,,ect
My Mrs Pre-paid Optus digital works in heaps more places, than my Telstra next G phone.
In Wonthaggi township, ( where we live ) I have to walk over to the Nth side of my house to talk on my Next G phone, and there are still areas on the S/W side of town that have absolutely no reception, and Wonthaggi is considered to be relatively flat.

But what do you do,? Follow the Giant ,?,, why don't they put ap a satelite or 2 ?

Beats me why they can't ,, not exactly the poorest company in Oz

Cheers
Bucky

AnswerID: 237035

Sponsored Links